"Good day, everyone."
The mouse, bear, dog greeted his staff.
"I hope you all enjoy the food that LunchRush prepared for us."
After exchanging brief pleasantries, the principal of U.A. and his staff dove straight into the matter at hand.
"This is the second day of student selection.
This session is for the selection of Hero Course both 1A and 1B."
"First," Nedzu said, clicking a remote. Two monitors lit up, displaying different images.
The first showed a lilac-haired boy who looked like he was being forced to smile in front of the camera.
The second monitor played a video of him during the practical exam.
The mouse, bear, dog cleared his throat before reading the boy's exam results.
"First, he scored an astonishing 87% on his written exam, securing 5th place on the Written exam"
The staff tapped their tablets, reviewing the boy's written test results.
Some couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the only section he had failed.
"He just wants to be a hero because he promised his best friend that they'd become heroes together," Midnight muttered, tapping her tablet as she read the boy's response.
"That answer should at least earn him a point or two," she commented. "Not the best reason for becoming a hero, but certainly not the worst."
Midnight glanced at Nedzu, as if asking his opinion on the second part of the boy's answer.
"I quote: 'I don't really care about saving anyone. I only want to be strong enough to keep my family safe.'"
Nedzu chuckled seeing the R-rated hero's reaction.
"At least he's honest. A better answer than the generic 'I want to save people like All Might' that we get all the time."
A sickly-looking, blond-haired man sitting beside Midnight coughed at the principal's remarks.
"He received zero points for that answer. The boy shows a clear lack of interest in protecting the masses," the man noted. "But we have three years to change that mindset into something more heroic, so I'm not too worried."
Nedzu picked up his remote and changed the display on the monitors.
"Anyway, passing his written exam has already secured him a seat in the General Course. But now, let's discuss the important matter his eligibility for the Hero Course."
The monitors displayed footage of the boy's most notable actions during the practical exam.
The pro heroes in the room had mixed reactions as they watched the lilac-haired boy force open the gate and enter the test area before the official start.
Nedzu turned to the Voice Hero and asked,
"If I'm not mistaken, he was the one who asked you to clarify the rules before the exam began. Am I correct, Hizashi?"
The Voice Hero shifted in his seat before answering.
"Yup! This listener is the one who asked that question."
Nedzu nodded. "Well, we did say that other than attacking or sabotaging other applicants, everyone was free to do what they needed to during the practical exam. It seems he took that literally."
Nedzu chuckled and clicked another button.
The monitors now showed three people. The first was Midnight, standing in front of two other examinees the lilac-haired boy and an orange-haired girl.
Midnight had asked them to stay behind while the other participants boarded their buses.
"Sooo... darlings," she said, crossing her arms, "what was the idea behind running ahead of everyone before the test even started?"
The orange-haired girl looked uncomfortable, struggling to come up with a good excuse for her actions.
The lilac-haired boy simply gave Midnight a questioning look.
"Sorry, ma'am," he replied. "There was no rule stating that we had to wait for the signal to start."
He scratched his cheek before continuing.
"I asked the loud guy if there were any other rules besides attacking the other participants. He said no, so I was sure I wasn't breaking any rules by starting early."
The orange-haired girl hesitantly raised a hand to speak.
"That's also why I started ahead," she admitted. "I remember his conversation with Present Mic."
She pointed at the boy beside her.
"And when I saw him running, I glanced at you, Miss Midnight. I was kind of waiting for your reaction, but you just smiled at him."
Nervously, Itsuka played with her ponytail.
"So, I assumed it wasn't against the rules."
Midnight tapped her chin, contemplating their reasoning.
"Okay, you two found a loophole. I'll give you that," she conceded.
Midnight then shifted her gaze to the busses.
"But wouldn't it have been more heroic to wait for the others so everyone could compete fairly?"
The orange-haired girl sagged slightly at the pro heroine's words.
The lilac-haired boy, however, just snorted and laughed.
"Sorry, ma'am, but we just did what you asked us to do take down those robots. If the others chose to stand still despite the gate being wide open, that's on them."
The lilac-haired boy lifted his head, gazing at the sky.
"And also..."
He lowered his gaze back to Midnight. This time, his usual indifferent expression was gone, replaced by a serious glint in his eyes.
"The last time a hero waited for something... a boy lost his family."
The video paused.
"Well, that took a dark turn," the Voice Hero muttered, uncomfortably scratching his neck.
Midnight sighed. "Yeah, I was caught off guard by that revelation."
She turned to Nedzu.
"I hope he wasn't talking about himself."
Nedzu shook his head. "I looked into the boy's records. His parents and older sister died in a car accident when he was four. A family friend has been taking care of him since then."
A cowboy-themed hero sighed. "Well, that explains everything, his answers on the written exam and his actions during the practical."
The hero removed his hat and placed it on the table.
"That kid's carrying a lot of baggage."
"A baggage and a huge 'I'm not fond of heroes' mindset," a space-themed hero added. "No wonder he isn't interested in being one."
Nedzu tapped his tablet, scrolling through the quirk registry for the Itami kid. A faint glint flashed in the chimera's eyes.
He turned back to his staff.
"Regardless, I believe neither student broke any rules since there weren't any to begin with."
Another click of the remote changed the monitor display.
The pro heroes watched as the Zero-Pointer was completely wrecked by the two teens the lilac-haired boy assisting while the orange-haired girl delivered the finishing blow.
"As you can see, after systematically taking down enough villain bots, young Itami stopped at 50 points and sat out for the rest of the exam," Nedzu noted.
"The only act of heroism he displayed was during the Zero-Pointer takedown. I must say, the two of them showed some impressive teamwork for kids who had never interacted to each other before."
The pro heroes nodded in agreement.
"Although young Kendo suffered a hairline fracture and muscle tears in her right arm from that stunt, and needed a days to recuperate." Recovery Girl commented disapprovingly.
She already had enough reckless students to deal with. She didn't need any new ones adding to the pile.
"I mean, compared to the green-haired boy who also took down a Zero-Pointer, young Kendo wasn't acting recklessly," Cementoss pointed out.
"Look at how she tried to use her other arm to break her fall. She would have been fine even without young Itami's assistance."
The sickly-looking blond man, internally winced at the Cement Hero's remark, recalling how his successor's actions during the exam had been far less calculated.
"Anyway, back to the topic at hand," Nedzu continued. "Young Itami accumulated a total of 50 villain points and 20 hero points."
He glanced around the table, his sharp eyes lingering on the staff members who had awarded the boy hero points.
When they all nodded in confirmation, Nedzu nodded as well and changed the monitor display.
Young Itami's picture appeared, alongside his exam results both written and practical.
"I'll take him in my class."
The tired-looking hero in a scarf finally spoke, making his presence known for the first time since the meeting started.
"Sorry, Shouta, but not this one."
Sipping his tea, the high-spec chimera nonchalantly rejected the underground hero's request.
Aizawa narrowed his eyes, his glare sharp as he silently waited for an explanation.
When none came, he sighed and spoke.
"This is illogical. Itami has potential, but clearly no interest in being a hero. Kids with powerful quirks and attitude problems are always placed in my class. Why not this one?"
The other staff members turned to Nedzu. Aizawa had a point. Because of his teaching style and the nature of his Quirk, students with powerful abilities and behavioral issues were typically assigned to his class ensuring he could neutralize any trouble before it escalated.
Nedzu tapped his tablet, changing the monitors so everyone could see the new display.
"Because, as you can see, his Quirk registry is linked to the World Hero Organization."
A wave of surprise and confusion swept through the room as the staff absorbed the unexpected revelation.
A WHO seal was stamped across Itami's Quirk registry, meaning that if anyone wanted access to the boy's Quirk details, they would need to submit a request to the WHO.
Not only would the request undergo rigorous evaluation, but the organization could also launch a full investigation into the applicant's background.
In short, young Itami was under the protection of the World Hero Organization.
"I don't know whether young Itami himself has direct ties to the WHO or if it's due to his mentor, who happens to be a retired pro hero with an international hero license," Nedzu admitted. "But either way-"
He looked directly at Aizawa.
"given your teaching style and how you run your class, placing young Itami in 1A would be like inviting the WHO to come knocking on U.A.'s doors."
Aizawa's frown deepened, but Nedzu continued.
"With how direct and confrontational young Itami is, a clash between the two of you would be inevitable. If he were placed in your class, it would only be a matter of time before he reacted poorly to one of your more... extreme disciplinary measures."
Nedzu took another sip of tea, ignoring Aizawa's glare.
"There is no conceivable way to justify your tendency to expel students on a whim or doze off in class as aligning with U.A.'s reputation as a top-tier hero academy."
The staff members exchanged glances. They could go against the Hero Public Safety Commission without much issue, but the WHO was a completely different entity. If the World Hero Organization deemed that U.A. had failed to uphold the standards of an international hero school, the consequences would be severe.
Aizawa, clearly displeased, crossed his arms.
"If the Itami kid is such a problem, why accept him into U.A. at all? Why not reject his application? I don't like the idea of him getting special treatment."
Nedzu chuckled, as if anticipating the question.
"You see, Shouta, the answer is simple: Itami earned his spot in the Hero Course by passing the exam.
"And second, just because a student has complicated ties doesn't mean their presence spells disaster for U.A. If we handle young Itami's education carefully, we could stand to gain significant benefits for the school."
Nedzu's gaze shifted from Aizawa to another staff member Vlad King, the blood-themed hero and homeroom teacher of Class 1B.
"So, with that in mind, I believe Kan is the better suited to handle young Itami. He has already proven his ability to work with difficult students and shape them into proper heroes."
Vlad King studied the monitor, his face unreadable as he reviewed young Itami's performance again.
Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face. He looked up at Nedzu.
"I accept the challenge. I'll turn this brat into a great hero."
Aizawa sighed in disapproval, muttering something about how illogical it was to keep a problem instead of preventing it in the first place.
Nedzu clapped his paws together, pleased with the decision.
"Great! That's settled, then. Young Itami will be placed in Class 1B. That also means that young Ibara Shiozaki our second-place scorer in the practical exam and Itami's closest friend will also be placed in your class, Kan. Since, from what I've observed, she has a stabilizing influence on him."
Vlad King nodded in acknowledgment.
With that matter resolved, Nedzu changed the monitors to display another student's results.
"Okay, let's move on to this year's first-place scorer in the practical exam."
Later...
"With a villain points of 43 and a rescue points of 65, young Kendo you earned an overall score of 108 points.
"With that, you've secured first place in this year's U.A. practical exam.
"Young Kendo, welcome to your Hero Academia!"
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"Itsuka, honey, language!"
End of Chapter 8.